Israel’s War on Palestinian Joy: Silencing the Survivors of Torture and Abuse

Phalapoem editor, 01/02/2025

The Israeli occupation has long been synonymous with oppression, brutality, and the systematic dehumanization of Palestinians. But if there were ever a clearer display of its inhumanity, it is in its recent efforts to forbid Palestinians from celebrating the release of their own people—people who have endured the depths of cruelty in Israeli detention centers.

For months, Palestinian hostages —men, women, and children—have been subjected to the most horrific conditions imaginable: sexual violence, relentless torture, starvation, threats and daily degradation. Yet, even after enduring these atrocities, even after surviving a system designed to break their spirit, they are denied the most basic human right—to celebrate freedom.

Israeli prisons are not mere detention facilities; they are sites of systematic abuse. Testimonies from released Palestinian detainees have exposed an appalling reality:

Sexual Violence as a Weapon: Hostages, including women and children , have spoken of sexual assault and threats of rape used as tools of psychological destruction.

Torture Without Limits: Beatings, electrocution, stress positions, and sleep deprivation are routine methods used to extract confessions or simply inflict suffering.

Starvation and Medical Neglect: Hostages are deprived of food and medical treatment, leading to severe malnutrition and untreated illnesses.

Dehumanization as Policy: Forced to strip, humiliated, denied basic hygiene—Palestinian hostages are treated as less than human.

This level of brutality is not a coincidence; it is a deliberate part of Israel’s occupation machine, aimed at crushing Palestinian resistance and erasing their dignity.

Even Freedom Must Be Punished

For Palestinians, freedom is not just the physical release from a prison cell—it is survival, resilience, and defiance in the face of oppression. Yet, even this is something Israel cannot tolerate.

The occupation forces have violently cracked down on families and communities who dared to rejoice at the release of their loved ones. The same military that bombs homes and shoots children in the streets is now criminalizing joy, as if happiness itself is a threat to Israel’s apartheid system.

In contrast, Israeli prisoners—regardless of their crimes—are often welcomed home with public celebrations, political endorsements, and even government protection. The double standard could not be clearer.

By forbidding celebrations, Israel is trying to erase the suffering of these hostages, to suppress their stories, and to strip them of the dignity they reclaimed by surviving. But no amount of repression can erase the truth. These hostages were tortured. They were starved. They were brutalized. And now, they are home—not as broken souls, but as symbols of Palestinian endurance.

The Israeli occupation is built on violence, but it fears Palestinian resilience more than anything else. That is why it bombs schools, universities, hospitals, infrastructure, demolishes homes, and yes—bans celebrations. Because every smile, every chant, every embrace between a freed hostage and their family is a reminder that the occupation has failed.

The World Must Speak Out

The international community cannot continue to look away. Every moment of silence is complicity in the suffering of Palestinian hostages. The stories of their abuse must be heard, their resilience must be honored, and their right to celebrate must be defended.

The inhumanity of the Israeli occupation is on full display. The question is—will the world finally act?

About Admin

Youth's poetry ignites my quest, Against oppression, I protest. In Palestine's struggle, voices rise, For freedom, peace, justice, my cries.
This entry was posted in Palestinian art & culture, Palestinian history, Palestinian Hostages in Israeli torture centres, Palestinian Prisoners, Palestinian prisoners and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Israel’s War on Palestinian Joy: Silencing the Survivors of Torture and Abuse

  1. Brian says:

    Palestinian prisoners vs. Israeli prisoners is like Auschwitz victims vs. 5-star hotel guests. One side faces torture, the other gets privileges.
    The western governments protect the occupation due to shared ‘values’. Palestinians will never forget nor forgive.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *